Saudi Ramadan rift: Eid likely on Thursday Published Tuesday, August 06, 2013 Muslim scholars in Saudi Arabia appeared split on Tuesday on whether the end-of-Ramadan moon should be sighted on Tuesday, which marks 28 days of the fasting month. But a top scholar said it is almost impossible to sight the moon tonight and that Eid Al Fitr is likely to fall on Thursday. The scholars were reacting to a call by the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, to the public to sight the moon on Tuesday night. The statement by the Supreme Court implied that there was an error in the date of the beginning of Ramadan on July 10 and that it could have begun on July 9. “Sighting the moon tonight is very unlikely and I expect Eid Al Fitr to start on Thursday,” said Sheikh Saad Al Khathlan, a member of the seven-man Supreme Scholars Committee, the Kingdom’s top Islamic authority created by King Abdullah. “I disagree with those who say there was a mistake in the start date of Ramadan. The crescent was not sighted on Monday night July 8 so this means Shaaban was 30 days and Ramadan started on July 10. I agree with astronomical calculations which confirmed that Ramadan began on Wednesday July 10.”
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 21:44:00 +0000
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